We are back with an interview with the host of another one of my favorite podcasts. This week, we have Denny Krahe in the house from the Diz Runs With… podcast. I found this podcast through Twitter. When I created my account, I started following several running Twitter accounts. Denny’s was one of them. I caught some of his posts, and found that he had a podcast. I subscribed through iTunes, and was instantly hooked!
There are a few different types of formats for this podcast. One format is the interview. In each of these episodes, Denny has a conversation with a fellow runner. There are all types of runners that appear as guests, and every one of them has an interesting story. The guests are totally relatable, and Denny does an incredible job keeping the conversation going. These episodes are usually under an hour, and go by as fast as a quick run.
There are also Quick Tips episodes. These are mini-episodes about 10 minutes. There are all kinds of great tips, such as “The Best Way to Dry Wet Running Shoes Quickly”, “Running Apps for Your Phone”, and “Coming Back from an Injury.”
Finally, once a month Denny does a Q&A episode. He answers questions that anybody can pose to him through his Facebook group, Twitter or email.
I have never skipped an episode of this podcast. Each episode is entertaining and interesting. Oh by the way, I am going to be a guest on a future episode! I am looking forward to it. This will be my first appearance on a podcast in my Rhode Runner capacity. So, stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, Denny was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions for me. So, let’s run and learn some more about Denny and his Diz Runs With… podcast.
Q. How long have you been running, and how/why did you get started?
A. This is one of those tricky questions that can have about a dozen answers! I ran growing up to help get myself in better shape for the sports I played in middle school and high school. In college, I would run to try and keep some of the weight off from a few too many beers and/or a few too many late night pizza deliveries (that may or may not have included a few of those beers!). After college running was hit or miss, but something I did occasionally for exercise. And that hit or miss style of running lasted for several years after college, getting married, settling into “life”, etc. I ran my first marathon in 2010, so that could be another legitimate answer.
But if you want to know when I would have considered myself a runner, that would have been at some point in 2012. That was the first year that I really took running seriously. I had a mileage goal for the year, I was running consistently, and that is the year I really fell head over heels in love with the sport.
Q. Do you have a favorite race that you ran in, either because of a PR or because of the location of the race?
A. Another tricky question! If I had to pick one race as my favorite, it would have to be the Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon held every fall at Walt Disney World. I’ve run the race every year of its existence (started in 2010) and really fell in love with it because it was a night race. Back before I would have really called myself a runner, I hated getting up early to run. So the idea of starting a race at 10 pm instead of starting at 6 or 7 am was very appealing. And the race being at Disney was pretty much icing on the cake.
Q. In the spirit of your show, I’ll ask you what you ask all your guests – What is your favorite race distance?
A. My favorite distance to race is the marathon, but not for a good reason. I still haven’t figured out how to run a complete marathon yet, and that struggle keeps me coming back for more. I really like running/racing the half. I know how to pace myself appropriately and really leave everything I have out there on the course, but it’s just not the same as the full marathon. One of these day’s I’m going to run a good 26.2 miles, and I can’t wait!
Q. Why did you decide to podcast?
A. I launched my first podcast, Better Health 101 (no longer available), in February of 2014 and quickly fell in love with the medium. Later that spring, I had the idea of turning my attention (both with the podcast and with my business) more towards running, and I decided to launch the current show. I tried keeping both shows active for a few weeks, maybe a month, but ultimately I needed to let one of them go. I like to think I made the right choice! 🙂
Q. How did you come up with the name of your show?
A. Hehehe, the name of my show… So the name of the show is “Diz Runs With…” which is potentially the worst name for a podcast in all of iTunes!
That said, the name really does make sense, so thanks for asking this question! My nickname since my college days has been Diz, and many of my friends still call me that. So when I decided to start a running blog in 2012, calling my blog Diz Runs just made sense to me. When I decided to do a podcast centered on running, I was thinking about how I wanted to show to work and I kept coming back to the idea of it being a casual conversation-like the kind of conversation you have with people while you are running with them. Whenever you run with someone new, the conversation almost always follows the same pattern: you start of talking about running, and eventually you might talk about work, families, other hobbies, or any number of other possibilities. But no matter which way the conversation goes, those chats had with other runners while running tend to be pretty great conversations.
And that was the goal of my show when I launched it, and that’s still the goal to this day. I aim to have a conversation with my guests that is very free flowing. So the title of the show, Diz Runs With, is a nod toward the person I’m “running” with for that episode of the podcast.
Honestly, the name of a bloody podcast shouldn’t take that long to explain, but that’s the story behind the worst podcast name in all of iTunes!
Q. Do you have any dream guests for the show?
A. Not really. If you would have asked me that when I launched the show, I would have rattled off a dozen of the popular names. Meb, Kara, Shalane, Mo, and right on down the line. The two “non-pro” runners I wanted to have on the show were the two Peters: Sagal and Shankman. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Peter Shankman for the show, and I’d still like to talk to Peter Sagal. But am I going to be heartbroken if I don’t have a chance to have him on the show? Not in the slightest.
There are so many amazing runners out there who have great stories to tell, and those are the people I want to talk to. Doesn’t matter if they’ve run in the Olympics, run at Boston, or just run in a local 5k. If you’re a runner, you’re welcome on my show and my dream is to continue to talk to as many awesome runners as possible.
Q. I’m only 3 races in to my 50 state journey, and I have already seen some inspirational people at those races. For example, there was a 90 year old woman doing her first 5k. And at another race, there was a 5 year old who performed the National Anthem. He had lost his father in Iraq just 2 days before he was born. Have you come across inspirational people at any races you’ve done?
A. Of course! There’s been the fire fighters and service members that have run races in full gear in honor of those that have lost their lives doing their jobs. There’s the people running for a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. There are the runners that you’d never think they could finish a one mile run if you judged them on their outside appearance that are out there gutting it out over 13.1 or 26.2 miles.
One guy that really stands out, and I wish I would have slowed down to talk to him more, was an older gentleman that was wearing a 50 States Marathon Club t-shirt during a race, only he had crossed out the 50 and written in 100. Then he had crossed out the 100 and written in 150. The man had to be in his 70s, and I have no idea how many marathons he had run in his life but the number was certainly north of 150. I definitely hope to still be running when I’m his age!
Q. Do you have anything coming up on your podcast that you would like to share?
A. Nothing out of the ordinary, though there’s a rumor that you might be gracing us with your presence soon! 🙂
Q. Would you like to share any final thoughts?
A. If you let it, running can be one of the best teachers you’ll ever have. The things you learn training for a race, whether it’s a 5k or an ultra-marathon, are often the kind of lessons that you can look back on to help you in so many other things that you’ll encounter in life. Overcoming obstacles, perseverance, consistency, planning, and so much more go into being successful, both in running and in just about any other aspect of life!
Wasn’t he great! Thanks so much, Denny!
You can check out Denny’s site/blog at http://dizruns.com/
You can also go to his Podcast page on the site to check out all of the episodes. You can also subscribe through whatever service you normally use for your podcast listening. And if you subscribe, then you won’t miss the episode that I will be on! 😉
You can also follow him on Twitter (where he is very active) at @DizRuns.
Denny is also on Instagram (@dizruns).
You can find him on Pinterest.
Last, but not least, you can join the Diz Runs Facebook group, The Diz Runs Tribe.
Well, I gotta run. So until next time, I’ll see you out on the Rhode!
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